Antislipping removable sole for shoes.



No. 818,173. PATENTED APR.1'7, 1906.

J. M. HOFFMAN. ANTISLIPPING RBMOVABLB SOLE POR SHOES.

APPLICATION FILED APRJB, 1905.

NVENTOI? ATTHNEY.

' applicable to JOSEPH M. HOFFMAN, OF

BROOKLYN, NEWr YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE HALF TO JOHN F. NELSON, OFBROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

ANTISLIPPING REMOVABLE SOLE FOR SHOES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 17, 1906.

Application filed April 18,1905. Serial No. 256,282.'

T0 all whom it may concern.'

Be itknown that I, JOSEPH M. HOFFMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of Brooklyn, State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Antislipping Removable Soles forShoes, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of thisspecification.

My invention relates generally to removable soles for shoes for thepurpose of preventing slipping and specifically to removable rubbersole-pieces with which is combined means to positively clamp theremovable sole to the shoe during use. The improved device I haveinvented is especially prevent slipping by tenpin bowlers whendelivering a ball on the polished wooden fioor.

My invention has for its object to provide a rubber sole with africtional tread or under face extending under the ball of the footonly-that is to say, back to the shankwith a cap-like front to adapt itto be held in place over the toe and forward part of the sole and withmechanical means embedded in the rubber by molding or otherwise toenable the rear portion of my removable rubber sole to be positivelyheld when in use by a clamping action against the sole of the shoe ofthe wearer.

To these ends my invention consists of the device which accomplishesthese objects, hereinafter described, the novel features of which bothelementally and in combination will be now fully described, and finallypointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my new device, Figure 1 is aplan view of my removable sole, parts of the under surface being shownin dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same in place on theshoe of the wearer, and Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section on theline 3 3 of Fig. 1.

As before stated, my improved device is desi ned more particularly foruse ofc tenpin bow ers, where slipping of the foot on the floor indelivering a ball is very common. To revent such slipping, it is nowcommon wit bowlers to use ordinary rubber or tennis shoes, which areheavy, cumbersome, and expensive. For that and analogous uses to whichit is applicable my device is light in weight, inexpensive, and isadapted to quick and convenient attachment to and detachment from theshoe of the wearer, but in such manner .that while in use the devicewill be fixedly but removably clamped to the shoe of the bowler orwearer.

The device is made, preferably, of rubber such as mens rubber overshoesare usually made of, but with a slightly-thicker sole or tread portion Afor the purpose hereinafter mentioned. It is provided with a toe-cap orfront sole-fiange B, and the tread portion extends rearward to a pointabout coincident with the shank of the slice, as seen in Fig. 1, inorder that the clamping device may be more suitably adjusted and be moreeffectively operative. The tread portion A (see Fig. 2) is provided witha roughened under surface, preferably a corrugated surface, as indicatedat d, of the kind common with some sorts of sporting or field shoes forthe purpose of increasing frictionalhold on the floor when the device isin use by the wearer.

Near the rear end of this tread portion and transversely thereto isembedded in the rubber a metal keeper D, consisting of thin sheet metalstamped out to provide two channels@ and t, one for the bar or body F ofthe clip C to slide in and the other serving as a pocket for thelocking-pawls E with their springs E. This keeper is rovided also withan extension or tongue to hold the rearward channeled body of the keepermore securely against movement in the rubber and also to give therequisite form to and serve as a stiffener for the tread portion or soleproper of the device.

In the roove s of the keeper D is inserted on each side a flat bar F,fitting reasonably snuor in said groove, but capable of being readilyslid longitudinally therein, said bar carrying on its outer end a curvedclip C and having on its rearward longitudinal edge a series ofserrations C forming a pawl-rack. The partition-'wall n between thegrooves or channels s and tin the keeper D has on each side of itscentral line an opening r, through which a projection D2, operating as apawl,

rojects, and also another contiguous openmg 1", in which a pivot-pin orprojection e projects, said projections D2 and e being on the upper andinner end of a pawl-bar D3,l

back of which or forming the inner end thereof and resting on one wallof the groove tls IOO a flat spring E, curved to force the pawl D2 intothe rackon the edge of the clip-bar F. The pin vor projection e entersthe opening fr inthe partitionwall between the grooves. The pawl-bar D3is prevented from dropping out, being heldv in place by the pivot-pin e,and said bar has an operating end E, which projects beyond the face ofthe groove t, by which the bar can be pivotally moved to detach the pawlfrom operative register with the rack-bar. i

'l The provision of oppositely-disposed movable clips, each constructedwith a rack edge and each coacting with a separately-movable spring-'actuated pawl, enables the rubber sole to be readily clamped to the edgesof the shoe-sole and as readily detached therefrom; but it also providesa reasonable amount of adjustment for attaching the device to shoe solesof somewhat varying widths. Theparts are shown in clamped orlockedposition in Fig. 1.

To remove the device from the shoe, the projecting end of the pawl-baris pushed to swing it pivotally on the pin e and depress the spring t.and `disengage the locking-pawl D2 from engagement with the clip-barrack C, then push or swing the sole in the direction of the other clip,for it is obviously unnecessary' to unlock both. To attach the device tothe sole of the shoe, the toe-piece is first slipped on the foot, thetread portion A adjusted centrally on the shoe-sole, with one clip inposition embracing one side of the shoe-solev at the shank thereof, thenpushing in the other clip-bar in its groove in the keeper as far as itwill go, drawing the rubber sole toward the heel of the shoe, and therack and pawl will automatically engage in locked position.

Havingv thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patentl. A removable antislipping sole for shoes, consistingof the combination with a solepiece having a toe-cap and a-tread-surface adapted to coincide with the shoe-sole rearward to theshank thereof, of a longitudi nally-grooved metallic bar mounted iixedlyon the sole-piece. contiguous to the rear end thereof and transverselythereto, a pair of oppositely-disposed clip-carryin r rack-bars adaptedto slide independentily in said grooved bar,l with pawl mechanismoperatiiw to respectively lock and release each of said clip-carryingbars in the said grooved bar.

2. In a device of the character recited, the combination of thefollowing elements a solepiece having a toe-cap and a treadsurfaceadapted to coincide with a' shoe-sole rearward to the shank thereof,with means to removably clamp it vto the shoesole, consisting of agrooved metallic keeper-bar mounted iXedly on the sole-piece contiguousto the rear end thereoic and transversely thereto, a pair ofoppositely-disposed and independently-movable clip-carrying barsprovided with a serrated edge and adapted to slide in the groove of thekeeper-bar, with means to respectively lock and release eachclip-carrying bar therein, consisting of a pawl-carrying andspring-actuated bar also mountedin the grooved keeper-bar and projectingoutwardly eyond the edge thereof.

3. In a device of the character recited, the combination with asole-piece of thick rubber in the tread portion, having a toe-cap and africtional tread-surface, of a metallic keeper embedded. in the rubber,said keeper having a forward-extending tongue and a body portion withtwo contiguous grooves therein separated from each by a slottedpartition, a pair of clip-carrying bars havingaserrated edge and mountedslidingly. in one of said grooves, and a spring-actuated p`awl-carryingbar mounted slidingly in the other of said grooves, the pawl extendingthrough the slot in the 'said partition and normally registering withthe serrated edge of the clip-bar.

In testimony whereof -I have hereunto affixed my signature this 15th dayof April, A.

JOSEPH M. HOFFMAN. l/Vitnesses: s

HENRY STRIEBLING, JOHN F. NELSON.

